Water supply units are collectively referred to as a device which is installed in an indoor wall, receives water supplied from a water supply source through a water supply pipe, and finally discharges the supplied water through a faucet or water discharge pipe.
As shown in FIG. 1, such a water supply unit includes a faucet 300, and a connection body 100 which connects the faucet to a water supply pipe for delivering water supplied from a water supply source to the faucet. The connection body 100 is formed such that the water supply pipe for supplying water is connected to one side of the connection body 100 and the faucet 300 is connected to an opposite side of the connection body 100. The aforementioned water supply unit is disclosed in Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2010-0063411 entitled “Water supply unit having stop function” and published on Jun. 11, 2010.
In general, the connection body 100 is installed as embedded in a wall, and interconnects the faucet and the water supply pipe. In this regard, a housing 200 is embedded in the wall and provides a space in which the connection body 100 can be accommodated.
Further, the faucet 300 may be threadedly coupled to the connection body 100. However, the thread coupling is configured such that a nut is fastened for coupling in the state where a connection portion of the faucet 300 abuts on the connection body 100. The thread coupling causes inconvenience since the thread coupling requires an additional tool and it takes a long time for the thread coupling.
To solve the aforementioned problems, as disclosed in Korean Utility Model Registration No. 20-0172079 issued on Nov. 25, 1995 and entitled “Grab ring for connector of plumbing pipe,” there has been proposed a configuration wherein a part called a grab ring is installed in the connection body and a connection pipe formed in the faucet is coupled to the connection body through the grab ring. The grab ring is formed with a plurality of sawteeth which are inclined in one direction. Thus, as the connection pipe formed in the faucet is moved forward, the connection pipe can be fitted to the grab ring. However, when the connection pipe is moved backward, the sawteeth strongly press an outer peripheral surface of the connection pipe to prevent extraction. The aforementioned configuration enables the faucet to be conveniently coupled to the connection body without being easily separated from the connection body, thereby firmly maintaining the coupled state. Of course, in the aforementioned configuration, it is a matter of course that a packing for water tightness is provided between the connection body and the connection pipe formed in the faucet.
The aforementioned configuration of coupling the faucet to the connection body with the grab ring is advantageous since the coupling operation is convenient. However, it has problems since it is difficult to separate the faucet from the connection body in order to replace or repair the faucet. To separate the faucet, the sawteeth formed on the grab ring must be pushed and opened. However, it is difficult to ensure a sufficient working space due to the installation of the faucet in a limited space, and it is difficult to use a tool due to a small size of the faucet, thus resulting in the aforementioned problems.